The Kimchimonger News Blog

Have we gloated about the weather in Southern California recently? If not, here we go:  Outside it is currently 76 degrees with sunshine, blue skies, and a hint of cool breeze. It’s heavenly. In fact, if we weren’t inside working, we’d most definitely be frolicking in yonder meadow and singing The Hills are Alive.

Of course, this follows one of the grayest, rainiest winters we’ve had in a while, and–perhaps as a result–one of the gnarliest cold/flu seasons too. For a while there, it seemed like everyone was on the verge of getting (or was trying to get over) a virus. Well, flu season unofficially ends this week. To celebrate, we present you with this silly creation from a Korean ad man in NYC: The kimchi mask.

The orange thing is supposed to be a big leaf of cabbage kimchi, and underneath that it says “KIMCHI PREVENTS FLU.” According to The Korea Herald, these masks were supposed to humorously publicize the effectiveness of kimchi against flu…

Don’t get us wrong- We of all people know that kimchi has plenty of admirable qualities. It is rich in vitamins, fiber, and good-for-you bacteria, yet low in fat and calories… So the addition of kimchi to your diet may very well contribute to your wellbeing. But the belief that kimchi directly prevents flu (without any research to support it) is still somewhat baffling.

*sigh* Let’s forget all about unsubstantiated health claims and confusing advertising gimmicks and get back to getting our Julie Andrews on. Enjoy your day!

Last week we had a new customer call in an order after reading about kimchi in FIRST for Women (one of the women’s magazines at the grocery store checkout). We had a pleasant conversation about the numerous health benefits of our favorite fermented food. She said the article referred people to OrganicDirect.com to buy, but that site only delivers this product the the New York Metro area, so we wanted to let any FIRST readers out there know that Granny Choe’s online kimchi shop ships anywhere in the U.S…. and we’re award-winning and all-natural. Too bad FIRST didn’t know that. Anyhoo, through the magical connecting powers of Facebook we got in touch with the FIRST editor-at-large, Lisa Maxbauer, who said she’d be more than happy to try a sample of Granny Choe’s goods, so we just sent a jar her way. Fingers crossed!

We’re all familiar with Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. Your mom’s been harping on you about getting enough of it since elementary school. And most of us are familiar with its popularity as an immune booster. But what’s Vitamin C really all about? Today we look at Vitamin C – the nutrient behind the mask.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, which means it can only be obtained from a dietary source (humans are one of relatively few organisms that don’t produce Vitamin C internally). As far as physiology goes, it is vital to the synthesis of collagen, so your body needs it for the development of scar tissue, blood vessels, cartilage, and the maintenance of your lovely, youthful complexion. Vitamin C is also known for its antioxidant qualities. It acts to get rid of excessive free radicals, preventing oxidative stress and related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and inflammatory and circulatory diseases.

And as usual, your mother was right–Vitamin C is an excellent booster for the immune system. Vitamin C increases the presence of immunoglobulin in the bloodstream. Picture immunoglobulin as tiny soldiers that patrol the bloodstream and hang out near the surface of your skin to defend you from any would-be invaders. The immunoglobulin that vitamin C promote are specific to the surfaces of the openings of the body – mouth, nose, etc. So as pathogens are drifting through the air and you inhale, you need these suckers to seek and destroy any that might infect you (See our post on the illustrious kimchi air purifier).

Most people think of citrus fruit or Airborne tablets when they want a hearty dose of Vitamin C, but did you know that you can get 10% of your daily recommended intake of Vitamin C from 2 ounces of Granny Choe’s original / cabbage kimchi, or just 1 ounce of the ggakdugi / daikon radish kimchi? You should eat more kimchi. Your mom would totally agree.

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the words “dietary fiber”?

A) A healthy lifestyle
B) Bathroom humor jokes
C) Regularity
D) Roughage
E) All of the above

If you answered “all of the above,” you probably don’t need to read the rest of this.

Dietary fiber is found in plants. It’s the part of plant-based foods that is indigestible, and is sometimes called roughage. Sounds delightful, doesn’t it? If you have active imaginations like we do, “roughage” might conjure up  images of sinewy green masses that refuse to break up no matter how much you chew on them… and they kinda taste like cardboard. Green cardboard. It’s a good thing the kimchi aficionados know better!

Dietary fiber can be broken down into two distinct types-soluble and non-soluble. Soluble fiber can be dissolved in water, and as it passes through the digestive tract it absorbs water and is changed by the bacteria in your body into a gelatinous substance. Non-soluble fiber will leave your body in relatively the same condition as it entered. What’s so great about that, you ask? The fermentation of soluble fiber aids in the production of health-promoting compounds in the digestive tract, and the ability of insoluble fiber to attract water without absorbing it aid in the cleansing of said tract.

So where do you get a healthy dose of both types of fiber? Kimchi. Because kimchi is made primarily of veggies, it’s an excellent source of both types of fiber (this is in addition to its hearty probiotic benefits). So give your digestive system a break and add a dose of kimchi to your daily diet. Your body will like you more than Darth Vader likes filtered drinking water.

http://www.gutpathogens.com/content/1/1/8

Speaking of kimchi … By now, everyone knows about kimchi refrigerators, right? But the kimchi appliance that you might not be familiar with is the kimchi air purifier. Made by Korean company, LG (yes, the same LG that makes non-quacky electronics like cell phones and computer monitors), the air purifying unit is “equipped with a filter made out of kimchi that destroys the killer bird flu virus,” according to Forbes.com. Many Koreans credited kimchi for the country’s general resistance to avian flu, and while we’re not saying that it’s impossible, it seems like a pretty big investment to make when there are more anecdotes than research to back the product up. Since the whole bird flu thing has blown over, you can pick one up at kimchius.com at the discounted price of $799 and use it to ward off swine flu (yes, apparently kimchi is good for that too).

We think this bento box with kimchi/tofu mandoo (potstickers) is too stinkin’ cute. If a button-nosed apple face lunch container stuffed with nutritious snacks doesn’t bring a smile to your face, what will?

Photo by gamene via Flickr

We just received the latest issue (Sept/Oct) of Today’s Diet & Nutrition and found that Granny Choe’s kimchi is one of the Editor’s Picks on p. 61. It’s always exciting to see our goods in print. Here’s what the blurb says:

Because some like it hot, there’s Granny Choe’s Kimchi, a Korean staple that’s eye-poppingly pungent, made with natural ingredients, and loaded with vitamins and lactobacilli, or healthy bacteria. As you’d expect from a Korean grandmother, it’s the real deal.

Many, many thanks to Today’s Diet & Nutrition editor, Kate Jackson, for including us!

Napa cabbage before being hacked to bits as an offering for the kimchi gods.

Not long ago there was a class provided by The Sustainable Living Arts School in Vancouver, BC that was devoted entirely to the art and culture of kimchi. For those who aren’t exactly sure what sustainable living is, it involves doing anything possible to reduce our impact on the available natural resources. This translates to everything from reducing one’s carbon footprint to altering your diet. Basically the idea is that once you’ve kicked the bucket, there should be as little trace that you were ever here as possible. No garbage left behind, and no reduction in the resources that were available when you first arrived.

Natural kimchi (which can be tricky to find nowadays) is an excellent addition to any sustainable living diet because it is a fermented product (fermentation is a sustainable practice), and because it consists of all vegetables/spices with no commercially processed food products. Additionally, to quote from the Sustainable Living Arts School, “It’s spicy, delicious, and very, very good for you!” If you don’t know how to make it yourself, Granny Choe is happy to provide you with some… in a highly recyclable glass jar.

Image from Kimchikhan.com

The study of gustation, or what we know informally as “taste,” is one that may seldom enter the mind. Most of us know that the sense of taste and that of smell are closely related, and I’d be willing to bet that the majority of people could identify the 5 commonly accepted taste sensations – sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and savory. But in director Steve Shin’s movie Kimchikhan (due out at the end of this year), he claims to incorporate a sixth taste via a thirty-one item menu (kimchi quesadillas, anyone?) that reinvents kimchi and shatters the preconceived limitations that once shackled kimchi to the realm of Korean cuisine.

We Americans have always valued efficiency in everything we do. As a result, we have streamlined food preparation, and even consumption, such that we can have a meal prepared fairly quickly and still have it be satisfying to taste. Unfortunately, the many sugars, salts, fats, and oils that are necessary to produce this immediate gratification do not give the nutrients necessary for a healthy lifestyle. In the film Kimchikhan, Steve Shin promises to show how kimchi is satisfying and tasty while also providing many of the nutrients lacking in our modern diets.Now, as far as I know, this is a first-ever event. I’m sure kimchi has been featured in many a Korean movie, but I’ve been looking around lately and I see no indication that there has been a feature-length film devoted entirely to kimchi that includes the preparation process, the health benefits, and the many varieties, and that also promises to enlighten us to ways to consume kimchi that haven’t been done before. For any avid kimchi fans (and why would you be reading this if you weren’t?) this is definitely a film worth seeing, if for no other reason than to take your kimchiphobic friends so that they can get a better understanding of your fanaticism. The shoot just wrapped at the end of May in Osaka, Japan. Kimchikhan is currently scheduled for release in December of 2009 in both 2- and 3-D.